Sam Adams: Five Stars for Fluoride Backer's Bar

Wilder bar and cafe in Concordia, run by former fluoride booster, opens to a rave from the former mayor

Willamette Weekreported in August that Raquel Luz Bournhonesque, co-director and co-founder of Upstream Public Health—the lobbying group best known for its campaign to fluoridate Portland’s water—planned to open a local-sourced, organic-heavy Northeast Portland bar and cafe called Wilder.

Well, it opened up at the end of November at 5501 NE 30th Ave., and Michael Russell over at The Oregonianreportsit already has its first Yelp review.

The author? Former mayor Sam Adams, who gave the bar a perfect five-star rating during its opening week, citing its "beer, burgers and jazz."

Adams was the pivotal third member of the council to say he would vote for fluoridation. "We are delighted," Bournhonesque told WW at the time. "That’s fantastic news. We commend him for making the right decision."

The eventual vote was unanimous, setting off a long series of rock shows and parades in the Concordia neighborhood that now houses Wilder Bar—although likely not the sort that the city council was looking for.

The bar itself is a pleasant little wood-slatted space. In addition to the aforementioned hamburger loved by Adams, it offers Italian sausage, pasta with rapini, kale caesar salads and a variety of lovely looking cakes and pies. Recipes kicked around on their Facebook page include a gluten-free almond, lemon and ricotta cake; a salty honey pie; shaker pie with Meyer lemon and a maple buttermilk pie.

Bournhonesque told WW in August that her bar's name was a reminder to "keep things organic, keep them wilder.”

The new bar also features an oat stout from Upright Brewing on tap. Upright brewer Alex Ganum was a vocal proponent (and funder) of the fluoridation effort in Portland.